New York Subliners CDL bust-up explained: HyDra vs Crimsix feud, The Flank & more
Call of Duty LeagueOn August 14 at 11.59 PM PT, Call of Duty League pros whose contracts had run out, or their team options were not being extended, could enter the free agency market. While several players posted their FA status, the New York Subliners had a cataclysmic implosion broadcast for all to see on ‘The Flank’ livestream.
The New York Subliners had one of the more memorable runs to Champs during the 2022 season, qualifying by the skin of their teeth with an emphatic journey through Major 4 that saw them place as runners-up to eventual world champions, LA Thieves.
While things seemed fine, the team appears to have actually been on the ropes for the duration of the season, and now, finally, the players and coaches alike have spoken out, both against each other and against the situations they found themselves in.
Here’s the full rundown on the New York Subliners drama as the 2022 season finally reaches its close.
NYSL player beef: HyDra, Crimsix, Neptune & PaulEhx
By all accounts, it seems like the dynamic between players has been flawed ever since the start, which seems plausible given the way players like Travis ‘Neptune’ McCloud and James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks were removed from the side, and their poor results prior.
However, the situation ran much deeper, with accusations being thrown between players as they appeared on former CoD pro Thomas ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto’s CDL Twitch show, The Flank.
According to Paul ‘PaulEhx’ Avila, the Subliners had already started preparing for new players to come in before Major 4 had even kicked off, with Paco ‘HyDra’ Rusiewiez reportedly bringing Florida Mutineers’ franchise AR Cesar ‘Skyz’ Bueno into the team.
On the subject of Neptune, Crimsix apologized for calling him “the worst sub in the league” at the start of the season, saying that he intended for it to fire the young star up, not bring him down, saying he only did it because he cared about him.
HyDra also reportedly said that he was “reminded of how much he hates” his now-former teammates every time he jumped into a call with them and heard their voices.
The French star accused Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter of racism over a comment made about HyDra’s Algerian heritage, reportedly asking “who cares about Algeria” when the topic came up.
Crimsix claimed it was just a joke but admitted that he shouldn’t have said it. He also claimed HyDra never mentioned it when it happened, and thus wasn’t aware of how HyDra felt about it.
Crimsix ended the call saying that HyDra is “dead to him” and “the coldest motherf**ker I’ve teamed with in a while.”
NYSL coach & player bust-up
Crimsix went on to accuse head coach Javed ‘DREAL’ Ehsan of favoritism in regards to HyDra, not receiving as much criticism for his lack of effort as the rest of the team.
Not only that, but he also accused DREAL of not allowing fellow coach John ‘Revan’ Boble to speak in practice, to which DREAL responded, saying that “I didn’t say that at all” and that Revan “didn’t want to talk.”
The Brit then joined the Flank call to give his side of the story, saying that Boble simply didn’t speak up when the team asked for coaches to have more input.
Both Crimsix and Paul agreed that this was true.
After his appearance on The Flank, DREAL responded on Twitter, saying the claims “weren’t true in the slightest” and that “we all need to hold ourselves accountable.”
Crimsix posts statement apologizing & clarifying
Several hours after the stream and with the CoD community still reeling from everything that had gone down, Crimsix posted a Twitlonger clarifying some of his comments as well as apologizing for what had gone down, addressing each major point one-by-one.
He said he “feels awful” for his teammates for the Algeria comment and how it ended up affecting their team, claiming to be “p**sed” at HyDra for not just hashing out the issue as soon as it arose.
He also addressed the Neptune apology, saying that he “feels horrible” for doing more harm than good in some cases where he’s been hard on teammates.
Finally, he addressed his future, hinting that his team situation isn’t anywhere close to finalized yet.
“If I don’t find a new home for 2023, just know that I am aware that I am the only one to blame as these trends and my character could be things teams want to steer clear from,” he said. “But I refuse to be anyone but myself, for good, the bad, and the ugly.”
There was clearly a lot of bad blood on the Subliners roster this year, but how it affects each of their careers going forward remains to be seen. It’s fair to say that Crimsix, the unanimous GOAT of the esport, would leave a big hole if he wasn’t in the league in 2023.